A new study says that women are hospitalized more than men when it comes to asthma bouts. According to their findings, women receive emergency asthma treatment are up to 60% more likely to be hospitalized than men.
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the rate and prevalence of asthma has increased dramatically. In fact, around 25 million, or 8% of the U.S. population have asthma. That is about one in 12 people.
Experts say that the influx of cases of asthma and allergies can be traced back to the so-called hygiene hypothesis. This is pertaining to a more sanitized society will soon lose its immune strength and can lead to asthma, Medical Daily reports.
To land to their findings, the researchers were able to analyse data on the likelihood that around 2,000 patients treated in the emergency room for asthma would need hospitalization. Men and women have similar risk factors when it comes to bouts of asthma but they specifically found out that women have a 60% chance of being hospitalized, reports WebMD.
Dr. James Sublett, an allergist and president of the American College of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology in a statement, "Only 10 percent of the women in this study had been seen by an allergist in the last year. Many people aren't aware that allergists are asthma specialists, and are among the best-equipped experts to help keep asthma under control."
Meanwhile, Dr. Rose Chasm, a clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland's School of Medicine in Baltimore and head of the researchers said in a press release, "It's important to note the men and women whose charts we studied had certain things in common. "
She added, "Many were overweight and some were active smokers. A fairly high percentage did not have health insurance, although women had it more often than men. After adjusting for all those factors, we found that women were still 60 percent more likely to be hospitalized after being seen in an ED for acute asthma than men."
They also cited common rationales and reasons why women are more likely to be hospitalized. The role of female hormones predisposes them to have hyperactivity in the airways and most of them perceive difficulty of breathing severely than men.